Is John F. Kennedy Elementary a good school?

John F. Kennedy Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.1% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend John F. Kennedy Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 386 students attended John F. Kennedy Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of John F. Kennedy Elementary?

Students at John F. Kennedy Elementary are 95% Hispanic, 2% White, 1% African American, 1% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of John F. Kennedy Elementary attend?

Students who attend John F. Kennedy Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Indio Middle High : Indio High

John F. Kennedy Elementary

Summary:

John F. Kennedy Elementary is a public elementary school in Indio, California, serving 446 students in grades K-5 and part of the Desert Sands Unified School District. However, the school faces significant challenges, with high chronic absenteeism, low test scores, and underperformance compared to both district and state averages.

John F. Kennedy Elementary has experienced a sharp increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 17.9% in 2017-2018 to 52.9% in 2021-2022, notably higher than the district average of 38.4% and the state average. The school's performance on Smarter Balanced Assessments and the California Science Test (CAST) is consistently below the district and state levels, with only 13.09% of students proficient or better in ELA/Literacy End of Course in 2023-2024, compared to 39.07% for the district and 47.04% for the state. The school's performance is particularly concerning for Hispanic students, English Language Learners, and students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, ranking in the bottom 10% of California elementary schools for these student groups.

When compared to other nearby schools within the Desert Sands Unified School District, such as Martin Van Buren Elementary and Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International Studies, John F. Kennedy Elementary consistently underperforms in test scores and has higher chronic absenteeism rates. The school's performance has also steadily declined over the years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 3,735 out of 5,662 California elementary schools in 2017-2018 to 5,796 out of 5,874 in 2022-2023, suggesting the need for significant interventions and support to address the unique challenges faced by this school community.

Detail:

Public K-5

45-100 Clinton St.
Indio, CA 92201-3807

(760) 775-3840

District: Desert Sands Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
5679^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,701

Students who attend John F. Kennedy Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Indio Middle
High:	Indio High

Student/teacher ratio: 21.3

Number of students: 386

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

95.1%

White:

1.6%

African American:

1.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 89.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare John F. Kennedy Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details John F. Kennedy Elementary ranks worse than 96.9% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks last among 18 ranked elementary schools in the Desert Sands Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 10.01. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (95.1%), White (1.6%), African American (1.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 89.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at John F. Kennedy Elementary is 21.3, which is the lowest among 19 elementary schools in the Desert Sands Unified School District! (See more...)

Compare John F. Kennedy Elementary employs 18 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at John F. Kennedy Elementary is $8,701, which is the 5^th highest among 18 elementary schools in the Desert Sands Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

John F. Kennedy Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks John F. Kennedy Elementary 5679^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See John F. Kennedy Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Desert Sands Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Desert Sands Unified 1011^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for John F. Kennedy Elementary

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Rank History for all students at John F. Kennedy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	12.61	4508^th	4809	6.3%
2005	12.97	4457^th	4822	7.6%
2006	16.16	4280^th	4818	11.2%
2007	19.81	4307^th	5113	15.8%
2008	36.68	3153^rd	5113	38.3%
2009	20.66	4371^st	5193	15.8%
2010	18.48	4681^st	5314	11.9%
2011	14.02	5002^nd	5377	7.0%
2012	14.78	4968^th	5390	7.8%
2013	21.80	4610^th	5530	16.6%
2015	14.73	5127^th	5611	8.6%
2016	20.24	4597^th	5614	18.1%
2017	24.14	4331^st	5692	23.9%
2018	31.16	3735^th	5662	34.0%
2019	23.31	4512^th	5789	22.1%
2022	9.54	5751^st	5883	2.2%
2023	7.93	5796^th	5874	1.3%
2024	10.01	5679^th	5862	3.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at John F. Kennedy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	72.81	483^rd	3246	85.1%
2019	67.56	600^th	3275	81.7%
2022	33.92	2286^th	3311	31.0%
2023	19.62	3166^th	3250	2.6%
2024	22.74	2961^st	3160	6.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at John F. Kennedy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	44.33	2726^th	5084	46.4%
2019	30.25	3850^th	5173	25.6%
2022	9.16	5204^th	5264	1.1%
2023	10.18	5270^th	5374	1.9%
2024	13.74	5217^th	5511	5.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at John F. Kennedy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	27.69	3947^th	5413	27.1%
2019	24.48	4267^th	5492	22.3%
2022	10.49	5511^th	5635	2.2%
2023	8.03	5568^th	5617	0.9%
2024	15.29	5090^th	5605	9.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at John F. Kennedy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	18.67	2063^rd	2227	7.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at John F. Kennedy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	35.50	3312^th	5431	39.0%
2019	23.22	4365^th	5510	20.8%
2022	10.17	5542^nd	5663	2.1%
2023	8.91	5570^th	5650	1.4%
2024	7.39	5586^th	5636	0.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at John F. Kennedy Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	41.48	2764^th	4830	42.8%
2019	31.90	3562^nd	4963	28.2%
2022	11.79	4959^th	5084	2.5%
2023	10.47	5006^th	5098	1.8%
2024	14.43	4790^th	5102	6.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for John F. Kennedy Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	251	44	9	528	0	n/a	n/a	0	832
1989	283	43	14	610	1	n/a	n/a	0	951
1990	269	42	8	689	1	n/a	n/a	0	1009
1991	207	45	12	562	3	n/a	n/a	0	829
1992	183	47	8	560	3	n/a	n/a	0	801
1993	232	34	15	495	0	n/a	n/a	0	776
1994	244	24	13	569	3	n/a	n/a	0	853
1995	220	30	7	735	0	n/a	n/a	0	992
1996	220	30	7	735	0	n/a	n/a	0	992
1997	207	30	8	788	1	n/a	n/a	0	1034
1998	197	36	7	832	1	n/a	n/a	0	1073
1999	190	38	12	853	1	n/a	n/a	0	1094
2000	88	23	18	511	4	n/a	n/a	0	644
2001	93	23	13	745	4	n/a	n/a	0	878
2002	50	29	13	717	3	n/a	n/a	10	822
2003	50	29	13	717	3	n/a	n/a	10	822
2004	39	28	3	593	2	n/a	n/a	18	683
2005	30	23	1	576	1	n/a	n/a	21	652
2006	17	14	4	517	1	n/a	n/a	26	579
2007	17	18	2	499	1	n/a	n/a	21	558
2008	12	19	6	528	1	n/a	n/a	0	566
2009	16	11	5	525	0	0	16	0	573
2010	15	12	3	498	1	0	0	0	529
2011	16	13	4	524	2	0	1	0	560
2012	20	9	2	508	2	0	5	0	546
2013	16	10	0	521	2	0	4	0	553
2014	18	9	1	528	3	0	4	0	563
2015	18	9	2	490	3	0	8	0	530
2016	15	8	2	478	1	0	8	0	512
2017	15	8	4	472	2	0	14	0	515
2018	13	12	4	452	1	0	15	0	497
2019	13	9	4	435	0	0	13	0	474
2020	9	13	3	422	0	0	9	0	456
2021	5	8	1	405	0	0	11	0	430
2022	7	9	1	412	1	0	6	0	436
2023	8	13	1	417	0	0	7	0	446
2024	6	5	3	367	0	0	5	0	386

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at John F. Kennedy Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	832	30.0	27.7	n/a
1989	951	34.0	27.9	n/a
1990	1009	36.0	28.0	n/a
1991	829	29.0	28.5	n/a
1992	801	29.5	27.1	58.3
1993	776	29.0	26.8	53.5
1994	853	31.0	27.5	52.3
1995	992	38.0	26.1	67.5
1996	992	38.0	26.1	67.5
1997	1034	41.0	25.2	64.8
1998	1073	48.5	22.1	63.7
1999	1094	51.0	21.5	66.3
2000	644	31.0	20.8	74.1
2001	878	44.0	20.0	72.7
2002	822	42.0	19.6	81.5
2003	822	42.0	19.6	81.5
2004	683	36.5	18.7	82.7
2005	652	34.0	19.2	89.9
2006	579	32.0	18.1	90.8
2007	558	30.0	18.6	88.3
2008	566	33.0	17.2	94.5
2009	573	30.0	17.9	91.4
2010	529	26.0	20.3	93
2011	560	n/a	n/a	94.1
2012	546	21.0	26.0	n/a
2013	553	20.0	27.6	98.9
2014	563	20.0	28.1	78.9
2015	530	19.0	27.8	97.9
2016	512	20.0	25.6	98.8
2017	515	21.0	24.5	97.9
2018	497	20.0	24.8	97.4
2019	474	21.0	22.5	92.8
2020	456	n/a	n/a	91.2
2021	430	19.0	22.6	96
2022	436	19.0	22.8	92.4
2023	446	19.0	23.3	83.9
2024	386	18.0	21.3	89.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio John F. Kennedy Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	832	30.0	27.7	n/a
1989	951	34.0	27.9	n/a
1990	1009	36.0	28.0	n/a
1991	829	29.0	28.5	n/a
1992	801	29.5	27.1	58.3
1993	776	29.0	26.8	53.5
1994	853	31.0	27.5	52.3
1995	992	38.0	26.1	67.5
1996	992	38.0	26.1	67.5
1997	1034	41.0	25.2	64.8
1998	1073	48.5	22.1	63.7
1999	1094	51.0	21.5	66.3
2000	644	31.0	20.8	74.1
2001	878	44.0	20.0	72.7
2002	822	42.0	19.6	81.5
2003	822	42.0	19.6	81.5
2004	683	36.5	18.7	82.7
2005	652	34.0	19.2	89.9
2006	579	32.0	18.1	90.8
2007	558	30.0	18.6	88.3
2008	566	33.0	17.2	94.5
2009	573	30.0	17.9	91.4
2010	529	26.0	20.3	93
2011	560	n/a	n/a	94.1
2012	546	21.0	26.0	n/a
2013	553	20.0	27.6	98.9
2014	563	20.0	28.1	78.9
2015	530	19.0	27.8	97.9
2016	512	20.0	25.6	98.8
2017	515	21.0	24.5	97.9
2018	497	20.0	24.8	97.4
2019	474	21.0	22.5	92.8
2020	456	n/a	n/a	91.2
2021	430	19.0	22.6	96
2022	436	19.0	22.8	92.4
2023	446	19.0	23.3	83.9
2024	386	18.0	21.3	89.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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